There are various types of texts for developing readers, which can sometimes be confusing.  Each type of text has pros and cons, and as with most things, a mixture of both is beneficial for most children.

Leveled Readers

Leveled readers are texts with predictable patterns, picture support, and large print.  Although some researchers believe they encourage children to guess rather than read, they offer richer texts and stories than decodable readers.

Tips for Using Leveled Readers:

• Before children read these texts, it is helpful to give a “book talk,” detailing the pattern and any vocabulary words they will encounter without the ability to decode.  (“This book is called _____.  It is about _____.  The pattern sounds like this: _____.”)
• Students should point to each word as they read. This will help them learn to track print (which they will later do with just their eyes), develop or strengthen concept of word, anchor their reading with known high frequency words, and learn new words.
• If your reader comes to a word that they do not know, you can encourage them to use their understanding of what is happening in the story paired with their letter sound knowledge or give them the word.  For example, if s/he comes to the word “cheetah” in a text about animals, you can encourage them to remember that each page is about an animal, this animal starts with the letters ch, which make the sound “ch”, and to look at the picture to see what the animal is.  (Keep in mind that you do not want your reader to develop the habit of guessing words. Students should always be using their knowledge of letter/sound correspondences to read the words. If your reader tends towards guessing, it is best to provide the word for them.)
• These texts often have words that students cannot decode; avoid telling your reader to “sound out” words that are too complex for their current decoding abilities (e.g. cheetah), unless you plan to walk them through it.  (“Remember c and h work together to make one sound. What is it? __ And here, the two es work together to say the long sound, e.  Let’s blend those two sounds together: ch-ee, chee.  The last part doesn’t play fair.  The t sounds more like a d, so it sounds like /d/, and the “a-h” actually says “uh” instead of “ah.” So, the second part says, “duh.” Now let’s blend the two parts together: chee-duh, cheeduh.)

Decodable Readers

Decodable readers are texts that include high frequency words and words that children can decode with their current knowledge of letter/sound correspondences.  For kindergartners, these are usually CV, CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words (c = consonant and v = vowel).  Perhaps the most well-known decodable readers are BOB Books.  The benefit of decodable readers is that students decode each word, so they do not develop the habit of guessing.  A few cons of decodable readers are that the texts are usually not as rich and students can become tired and frustrated from having to decode each word rather than relying on a pattern to help them.

In Conclusion

Together these texts help build a strong foundation for reading by developing different skills that your young reader will continue to use as they become more advanced in their decoding and comprehension abilities.  Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education!